Sample Comp Cards

Jade Elysan

This is a sample of the front and back of a comp card. Typically, the front features your headshot, and the back features 3-5 fashion or lifestyle images. Each look should resemble a tear sheet from a magazine. For the back of Jade's card, we did 1 fashion shot (lingerie) and 3 lifestyle shots. My makeup artist and I traveled to her in NJ, and we shot in and around her home.

Here are more samples from the backs of comp cards:

Sara Haley

Here’s an example that breaks the rule of contrasting looks. Sara is a fitness model, so she has a specialty comp card. If you plan to focus your efforts primarily in one area of print, it’s a good idea to have a comp card that showcases that specialty. Fitness shots require a lot of repetition to get the action to look natural while keeping the body position flattering.

Gina Ferrall

Gina is a terrific example of thorough preparation. She brought all the props for her photos, including the man! We discussed her three looks before the shoot, and then she went to town- computer, glasses, picnic basket and blanket, wine, husband, gardening hat and tools, and even the flowers. Props and accessories are just as important as clothes for lifestyle photos- they tell the story!

Jovis Depognon

Jovis is a fireman, so it was essential to include that on his comp card. If you have any specialty that is unusual in the acting and modeling industry (dancer, yoga instructor, musician, etc.), make sure to include it on your card. We shot three looks for his comp card, and he added one of the headshots as his forth look.

Hannah Oliverie

Children's comp cards are all about lifestyle images and fun clothing. Hanna brought in a lot of great outfits, so we had a blast styling her. Color is always important in a comp card, but especially for children. A kid's comp card should showcase great warmth and energy, so I made sure to keep the experience fast paced and adventurous- just like her.

Jess Press

Jess is an actress, model and dancer, so we had a lot of ground to cover. We created a crossover comp card for her. She has two fashion and three lifestyle looks, so she can work in either market. One of the lifestyle images showcases her dance experience and athleticism- I added the Red Bull to make the photo look like an advertisement (images on comp cards should look like tear sheets whenever possible). It's always helpful to discover a friendly neighborhood fireman on a convenient break.

Clark Ellis

Clark is a character actor with a range of looks- white collar, dad, blue collar and commercial. They all have to compliment one another while offering as much variety as possible. The locations are all near my studio, and everyone is very accommodating- we borrowed a glass of wine, a pizza shirt and a little boy!